The mission of the Department of Art & Art History is that Art is vital! It is vital to our students, our university, our communities, and our future. We celebrate the unique role that art and design play in historical and contemporary societies, and foster globally informed engagement with visual culture. The Department of Art and Art History is dedicated to effecting change through critical thinking, creative practice, and leadership in art education, art history, design, and studio art. Our visionis to strengthen our connection with local, national, and international audiences and to expand interdisciplinary inquiry in our scholarly practice and teaching.

The Department of Art & Art History aims to foster innovative and thoughtful artistic practice, scholarship, and education. As professional artists, designers, art historians, and art educators, our faculty enrich the experience of visual culture for our students and for the metropolitan area of Charlotte. We contribute to local, national and international dialog through exhibitions, lectures, publications, and other forms of research and outreach. By promoting critical thinking, we empower our students with the analytical and adaptive skills necessary to negotiate and contribute to increasingly complex and cosmopolitan visual world.

We offer expertise in the visual arts that is both interdisciplinary and intercultural, an expertise that supports a broadly based curriculum. As a vital contributor to a public urban research institution, the Department of Art & Art History endorses strategies that both derive from our current strengths and nurture our future capabilities.

The Department of Art & Art History offers three undergraduate degrees, two majors, and a minor in art history. All studio Art and Art Education classes are available to Art majors only. Many Art History classes are open to any major. Both majors require a cumulative 2.5 GPA for admission and a GPA of 2.5 in the major to graduate.